Improvement in magazine fire-arms



2 Sheets sheet 1. E. STABLER.

Magazine Fire-Arm.

Pate nted Mar. 14, 1865.

. [lzre 2210]" @543 Z Sheets-.Sheet 2.

E. STABLER.

Magazine Fire-Arm.

Patented Mar. 14, 1865.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-UTHOGRAPNER, wASwNGTbN. D C.

EDWARD STABLER, OF SANDY SPRINGS, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAGAZINE FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,828, dated March 1-1, 1865.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD STABLER, of Sandy Springs, Montgomery county, and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Magazine Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare that the following; is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure l is a side view of a portion of a magazine-gun, with a portion broken away for the purpose of more clearly illustrating my improvement. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, showing the operation of the improvement; Fig. 3, an under plan view, showing my improvement applied in a different manner; and Fig. etis a view of a detached portion, showing still another modification or method of applying my improvement.

A represents the stock, and B the portion which unites the stock to the barrel, and which contains the working mechanism of a magazine-gun constructed on the well-known plan of the Spencer gun. In this class of guns the cartridges are contained in a magazine located within the stock A, from which they are fed, one at a time, into the barrel by the movements of the carrier or breech blocks 0 and D, which are operated by the lever-guard E. With such arms it is frequently found desirable to use them by inserting a single cartridge by hand in the barrel, without using the magazine, it being sometimes desirable to reserve the cartridges in the magazine for a sudden emergency. At other times, when the magazine has been exhausted, and there is not time or it is other-wise inconvenientto recharge it, the necessity for loading by hand is equally important.

As this arm was originally constructed, there were two difliculties in the way of this operation of loading by hand. The first was the fact that if the carrier-block was rotated as usual when loading from the magazine, the retractor f would be thrown over back so far that the cartridge would be inserted inadvance of the retractor,'which would render the arm inoperative and dangerous. This difficulty was remedied by the improvement patented to me on the 6th day of December, A. D. 1864.

The second difficulty consists in the fact that if the carrier-block be thrown back in the usual manner and a cartridge be inserted by hand, a second cartridge will be received from the magazine, which latter cartridge, as the carrier-block is moved forward to close the breech, will also be carried up and forced against the one already inserted, thus preventing the closing of the parts, and consequently the use of the arm.

My improvement in this case is intended to remedy this last difficulty, and also to render the first even less liable to happenthan it now is.

My invention consists simply in applying to the carrier-block a check or stop, which shall arrest its backward movement at such a point as will prevent the retractorffrom leavingits position at the end of the barrel, and at the same time not let the carrier-block go back far enough to receive another cartridge from the magazine. This I accomplish in a varietyof ways.

In Fig. 1, or represents a channel or groove cut in the edge of the carrier-block. I then attach a slide, b, by means of a screw, 0, passin g through a slot therein, underneath the stock, in such a position that when it is shoved forward, as shown in Fig. 2, its front end shall enter the channel or groove a.

With this arrangement it is obvious that the carrier-block can be rotated only the length of the channel at, its further movement being arrested by the shoulder at the upper end of the channel as it comes in contact with the front end of slide b. This channel a must, of course, be made of the proper length, so as to stop the movement of the block at the desired point. In this manner I am enabled to accomplish both objects desired at one and the same time, and in the most simple and efficient manner.

Whenever it is desired to use the magazine it is only necessary to move the slide b back, as shown in red in Fig. 2, and thus the arm can instantly be converted, at will, from a magazine-gun into a single-loader, and vice versa.

In Fig. 3 another method of accomplishing the same object is shown. In this case I attach the button or check at in such a position that when turned as shown, the point 6 will enter the channel a and arrest the movement of the carrier-block at the desired point, the same as the slidebdid in theformer case. When it is desired to use the magazine, the button 01 is turned in the position shown in red, when the block is permitted to rotate to its full extent.

Still another method is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A groove, h, may be cut in the side of the carrier-block, as there shown, and a screw or small bolt, t, inserted through the side of the case or frame B, in such a position that its inner end shall enter the groove h, which will be made of the required length. In this case the change is effected by simply turning the screw 1' in or out, as it is obvious that when its end enters the channel h the movement of the carrier-block will be limited to the length of said groove or channel, whereas, when the screw is screwed out so that its inner end will clear the block entirely, the latter may be moved to its full extent.

Fig. 4 represents still another device for accomplishing the desired object, the parts being shown in position in red lines in Fig. 2. In this case I simply pivot a metal strip, 1, on top of the bridge-1. iece k, over which the cartridge-shell slides when being removed from the barrel after firing, the strip 1 being pivoted at 0 in such a manner that it can have its front end moved to one side, as shown in red in Fig. 4, which is a top-plan view of the parts. A small screw, it, working in arecess, as shown, serves to limit the movement of Z,

so as to prevent its front end from being thrown around so far as to rest upon the top of frame B at the side of block D, which, if done, would cause lto be broken or injured. As the carrier-block is rotated backward the front end of I, when in position, will come in contact with the projection m, and thus prevent its further movement. When it is desired to use the magazine, it is only necessary to shove the stop 1 to one side, when it will clear the projection m, and allow the carrier-block to rotate to its full extent.

It is obvious that a great variety of mechanical devices or equivalents may be adopted to produce the desired result of limitingthemovement of the carrier-block, and thus carry out or apply my invention; and therefore I do not limit myself to any or all of the devices or methods here shown for accomplishing that object.

It is also obvious that my invention may be applied to any and all magazine-guns constructed on this general plan, and therefore I do not limit myself to its application to the Spencer arm alone, but intend to claim it broadly, whatever the method used for applying it, and without regard to the particular arm to which it may be applied.

Having thus fully described my invention, and several methods of applying the same, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Limiting or arresting the movement of the carrier-block of a magazine-gun at any desired point, for the purpose of converting the arm into a single-loader, substantially as described.

2. I claim the stop I), or its equivalent, in combination with the carrier-block of a magazine fire-arm, operating as and for the purpose herein set forth.

EDWD. STABLER.

Witnesses:

W. O. DODGE, J. H. JOHNSON. 

